Barangay executives assume posts today

MANILA, Philippines - Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo yesterday called on elected barangay officials who are set to assume office at noon today to promote and practice good governance during their term.

Robredo said elected barangay officials nationwide play a vital role in ensuring the delivery of basic services to the people.

The barangay is the smallest form of government and a barangay chairman and his kagawad (councilmen) will serve a term of three years.

“It is incumbent upon every barangay to provide prompt and adequate services to their constituents, and this can better be achieved by having a barangay citizens’ charter, an information desk and, more importantly, a disaster risk reduction and management committee, as one of the committees of the barangay development council,” said Robredo.

In a directive, Robredo said all city, municipal mayors and barangay chairmen should promote and sustain good governance with transparency, responsiveness, accountability and participation.

Last Oct. 25, the Commission on Elections supervised the synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in 42,025 barangays in the country.

Robredo informed the Comelec that a total of 4,410 barangay chairpersons are serving their third, even fourth, terms.

Robredo reiterated his call for the Comelec not to proclaim winning barangay officials who had served the maximum of three consecutive terms, saying this might send the wrong impression that it is tolerating an unlawful act.

Robredo also urged barangay chairmen to conduct a semestral assembly to report about the status of their programs, upcoming activities, finances, problems and other concerns.

“To further promote transparency, barangays should post in conspicuous places their itemized monthly collections and disbursements, annual summary of income and expenditures, in order to show how much and for what specific purposes barangay funds were spent,” said Robredo.

Robredo also urged every barangay to create their bids and awards committees which shall be responsible for screening and evaluating bidders and awarding of contracts.

He also underscored the need for the inventory of barangay facilities and properties to ensure that all are properly documented and accounted for.

Stressing that community participation must be evident in various barangay activities, Robredo likewise asked barangay officials to ensure that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organizations are represented in barangay-based institutions such as the barangay development council, barangay peace and order council, barangay council for the protection of children and barangay anti-drug abuse council, among others.

Robredo enjoined city and municipal mayors to extend to barangay officials the necessary support for the successful implementation of programs aimed at improving the lives of people.